


Forgotten Memories Can Only Leave Room For New Ones

by psythewriter



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Deadcanons, Gen, Major NDRV3 Endgame Spoilers, people die when they are killed, that should say headcanons but either one works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 04:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10268414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psythewriter/pseuds/psythewriter
Summary: Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara.





	

The first time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, he's being attacked by a goat at the zoo, so she runs in to save him. He's extremely grateful, and he begins to cling to the girl as if she's his Siamese Twin. When Tenko pushes him away, he nearly cries, and Tenko regretted what she had done. She decides that he's not really bad at all, and that if she can take on a goat, she can take on being Saihara's friend.

  
~

  
The second time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, she's reading a short mystery he's written online. She had stumbled upon it on accident, while searching for cool stuff to read. The writer's username, 'unworthydetective,' was all too in-chaarcter for Saihara, and while she shrugs that off as a coincidence at first, Tenko realizes that the plot of the story was all too similar to an idea for a mystery he had asked her opinion on one week prior.

  
When she finishes reading, she is completely speechless. The complexity of the case, the twists at every turn, and the culprit that couldn't have ever guessed were all so fanastically done, and the story itself was beautifully written. Tenko decides to leave a comment as a guest, and after a long deliberation on what the best thing to say would be, she settles on 'This was the best thing I've ever read! Keep up the great work!'

  
Tenko didn't like having to refer to herself in the first person, but had to remain anonymous. She couldn't help but worry that Saihara would get embarrassed that she had found his story, and might take it down.

  
The third time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, it's the next day, and he's beaming.

  
~

  
The fourth time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, they're walking to school, when they see an ad for the popular television show, Danganronpa, on the window of a laundromat.  
Tenko jokingly asks Saihara if he'd ever sign up for the show, but he's all too serious when he answers 'yes.'

  
She doesn't bring up Danganronpa again after that.

  
~

  
The fifth time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara is when he's called to tell her that he's might not get the chance to talk to her again.

  
Tenko demands to know what he means and why he's being so vague, but won't give her a straightforward answer. He hangs up as quickly as he called, and Tenko is left worriedly calling the number back, but receiving no answer.

  
~

  
The sixth time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, is an hour after the cryptic call, and she finally receives a text from him.

  
She goes to her messages so quickly, that her phone almost flies out of her hand. Her hopes for answers diminish, when she sees that he's only sent her a link. Tenko taps the screen to open the link, and is taken to the official Danganronpa website.

  
Without a second thought, she calls the number listed on the page, and asks for an audition.

  
~

  
The seventh time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, she's in the waiting room of the Danganronpa studio, sitting in between a lanky boy with long, dark hair who makes her feel uncomfortable, and a girl with silver hair with a smile shining brighter than the spotlights on the set. A redhead who makes her heart dance is sleeping on the floor in front of her.

  
After a bit, a girl with cyan hair and rectangular glasses comes out and calls for Tenko, who gets up hesitantly.

  
Saihara still isn't there, or maybe he was already there? Regardless, she has to find out what he was doing. How could she let her best friend just escape her like that? Tenko is absentmindedly walking through the door leading to the audition room, when she accidentally bumps into someone. She turns to apologize...

  
And then she sees Saihara.

  
Both of them stand in stunned silence, until the cyan-haired girl grabs her by the hand and pulls her through the door. Not a word is exchanged between them. Not a word needs to be.

  
~

  
The first time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, she can't help but feel bad for him.

  
She finds it frustrating that he doesn't believe he deserve his title, and, as he puts it, has 'the self-esteem of a cicada.' Every one of them was given their title for a reason, so he needed to believe in himself, because he truly did deserve his title. That's what Tenko tried to tell him, but he said that 'she was just being kind.' The aikido master held back a laugh at the idea. Her, being kind to boys. It sure was a thought. Tenko tried to explain that she was not kind to boys, but Saihara didn't listen. Eventually, she couldn't bear her growing agitation, and socked the detective in the stomach.

  
"Tenko is NOT kind to boys!"

  
She stood in front of him, waiting for a response from Saihara. Then he threw up, and Tenko regretted what she had done.

  
~

  
The second time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, she punches him on sight. But this time, she holds back. A lot.

  
She really didn't want the boy to vomit all over the floor again, even though Kirumi had been more than willing to clean it up. It wasn't for that reason, but something makes her change her forceful fist to the gut, into a light tap on the chest at the last second. Immediately after contact, as if it's a reflex, Saihara utters a small "sorry" and Tenko decides it would be best to avoid physical contact with him all together. The duo stands in total silence, before Kaede beckons Saihara over to her, and he waves as he walks away.

  
Maybe he wasn't such an awful boy.

  
~

  
The third time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara is when they're given the motive. Just about everyone, including the detective and the aikido master, is shellshocked. Kaede tries to unite everyone, but even Tenko can hear her stutters and sees the worried look on her face. Even still, Tenko has hope that everyone will be okay. Himiko, Angie, Kirumi, Kaede, they're all going to live and escape together.

  
_Even still, Tenko takes a knife from the kitchen._

  
~

  
The fourth time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara is when he approaches Himiko and her, as they sit in the halls, with the former peacefully resting on Tenko's leg. The latter rudely asks him what he wants, and she almost kills him when he replies with, "I just want to talk."

  
Almost.

  
What Tenko didn't know before that moment, is that Saihara was a great listener. It feels...familiar somehow, in some strange deja vu way, that she doesn't really get. When Tenko finally realizes that she's been confiding in a boy, she freezes, until she picks up Himiko, who is astoundingly still asleep, and storms off.

  
~

  
The fifth time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, she ignores him.

  
He tries to talk to her, but it doesn't take long for him to realize that his attempts are fruitless, and for the most part, he gives up. Occasionally, he throws a small statement or question her way, trying to start up a conversation, but it all fails. Kirumi, Kaede, and Angie constantly try to convince her to give Saihara a chance, and Tenko knows that she should, but some childish part of her wants to stay mad at him for no reason. Maybe he was too weak. Maybe she knew he would die, and didn't want to get attached. Maybe she just wanted to stay true to herself.

  
_Maybe she knew what would happen next._

  
~

  
The sixth time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, she's standing over the corpse of Kokichi Ouma, with a bloody knife in her hand.

  
Their time was running out, and she knew that someone had to die quick, or else _everyone_ would die. Naturally, her first thought was Ouma, the one who seemed to be the weakest, and least likely to protest his death. This proved to be a fact, as the leader put up a weak fight, and Tenko was easily able to overpower him. All she had to do now was clean herself up, and hide the weapon, and everything would be okay.

  
And then she sees Saihara.

  
Tenko hadn't expected to see the detective out, as she had strolled through the corridors of the prison many times at night, and hadn't seen him once.

  
So, she no clue what to do.

  
It wasn't as if Tenko had intended to get away with Ouma's murder anyway, since that would result in the demise of the people she was doing this for in the first place. Killing Saihara would just delay the inevitable, and cause the death of someone who didn't deserve to die. Tenko really believed that Saihara was a good person, and in that moment, she wished she'd talked to him more.

  
Tenko waited for Saihara to react. To run, to attack her, to scream, to do _anything_. Then he threw up, and Tenko regretted what she had done.

  
The aikido master tried to drop the knife, but for some reason, her hand wouldn't release it's grip on it. She knew she wasn't going to kill Saihara. She doesn't _want_ to kill Saihara. It wouldn't be smart. It wouldn't be right. Tenko knows that she shouldn't, but some selfish part of her wants to get away with it, and leave. And before she realizes what's happening, her knife is in Saihara's neck.

  
He falls to the ground, and he's crying. Tenko drops to her knees, and takes the knife out hoping that it'll help, but regrets it as blood gets everywhere. She can't bear to hear his hoarse gasps, and see his pointless squirming. Tenko knows that he's going to die anyway, so she stabs him in the side of the head, because he would've been suffering and just doesn't deserve that.

  
The aikido master stands up, horrified by what she had done. When she walks away, Tenko realizes that Saihara hadn't been the only one who was crying.

  
~

  
The last time Tenko meets Shuuichi Saihara, Kaede's bloodcurdling scream is still ringing through her ears, as she holds her hand over Himiko's eyes to prevent her from seeing the body of a boy who had once been full of life.

  
Her best friend, Shuuichi Saihara.


End file.
